Country-wide policy
Romania Rebuilt Labour Migration in April 2026, Gave Itself Until August to Switch Over, and Opened an Amnesty Until the End of the Year
Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 came into force on 27 April 2026 and did three things at once. It repealed Title I of Ordinance 25/2014, which is the old work-authorisation regime - the aviz de angajare an employer used to obtain before a worker could apply. It created a new one in its place: a Shortage Occupations List approved by ministerial order, licensed placement agencies that file the application instead of the employer, an electronic platform called WorkinRomania.gov.ro, and an annual quota of newly admitted workers set by Government decision. And it gave itself a run-up. Article 48 says that Title I and the new single-application residence provisions apply until 7 August 2026 only so that employers can be registered, agencies licensed and the platform tested by simulating applications - so the regime that decides real cases begins on 8 August 2026. Article 49 keeps every application already lodged under the old law, and gives 180 days to use an authorisation already issued. Article 53 holds the 2026 quota at the figure in Government Decision 1,169/2025 until a new decision is made. And article 52 opens something that rarely appears in a statute: until 31 December 2026, foreigners who stayed on after an employment visa or single permit expired, and against whom no return obligation was established, may have their work residence extended without obtaining a new visa at all - provided they turned up at an immigration office within 60 days of 27 April 2026 to declare where they live.
Topics it changes
What it requires
- If you hold an authorisation issued before 27 April 2026, use it within 180 days
- If you overstayed an employment visa or single permit, you had 60 days from 27 April 2026 to declare your address
- Applications for an extension under the amnesty must be made by 31 December 2026
- From 8 August 2026, expect the placement agency route for anything outside the five direct-application categories
At a glance
- In force from
- 27 April 2026
Published in Monitorul Oficial no. 335 of 27 April 2026, with the entry into force stated as the same day.
- The new regime starts deciding cases
- 8 August 2026
Article 48 runs Title I and the single-application provisions until 7 August 2026 for registration, licensing and testing only.
- What was repealed
- Title I of Ordinance 25/2014
Article 55 of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026. That Title carried the employment authorisation an employer used to obtain.
- Authorisations already issued
- Usable for 180 days from issue
Article 49(3) of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026.
- The amnesty window
- Applications until 31 December 2026, without a new visa
Article 52(1) of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, for people whose employment visa or single permit expired and against whom no return obligation was established.
- The condition of the amnesty
- Declare your address within 60 days of 27 April 2026
Article 52(2) of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, at any territorial unit of the Inspectorate General for Immigration.
- The quota until a new one is set
- The figure in Government Decision 1,169/2025 for 2026
Article 53 of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026. The Decision itself was not read.
- Direct hiring after the switch
- Capped at the employer's own average headcount for the previous year
Article 51(2) of Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, for employers taking on a worker who changes jobs.
What the law says
«Dispoziţiile titlului I şi dispoziţiile referitoare la obţinerea şi prelungirea dreptului de şedere în scop de muncă în baza unei cereri unice prevăzute de Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 194/2002, republicată, cu modificările şi completările ulterioare, se aplică până la data de 7 august 2026, exclusiv pentru derularea procedurilor de Pagina 43 din 47 înregistrare a angajatorilor străinilor şi a procedurilor de autorizare a agenţiilor de plasare a străinilor, precum şi pentru testarea funcţionalităţii platformei electronice prin simularea unor proceduri de depunere şi soluţionare a cererilor unice.»Our translation - not official
The provisions of Title I and the provisions on obtaining and extending the right of residence for the purpose of work on the basis of a single application laid down by Government Emergency Ordinance no. 194/2002, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented, apply until 7 August 2026 exclusively for carrying out the procedures for registering employers of foreigners and the procedures for authorising placement agencies for foreigners, and for testing the functionality of the electronic platform by simulating procedures for lodging and deciding single applications.
A statute that puts its own commencement four months after its entry into force, and says what the interval is for.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(1) Străinii rămaşi pe teritoriul României după data la care le-a încetat dreptul de şedere stabilit prin viza de lungă şedere pentru angajare în muncă sau prin permisul unic şi împotriva cărora nu a fost stabilită obligaţia de returnare pot solicita, până la data de 31 decembrie 2026, prelungirea dreptului de şedere temporară în scop de Pagina 44 din 47 muncă, fără obligativitatea obţinerii unei vize de lungă şedere pentru angajare în muncă, cu aplicarea în mod corespunzător a procedurii prevăzute art. 56 alin. (10) şi (11) din Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului nr. 194/2002, republicată, cu modificările şi completările ulterioare.»The regularisation window. It is an extension of residence without a visa, not a new permit.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«La data intrării în vigoare a prezentei ordonanţe de urgenţă, titlul I al Ordonanţei Guvernului nr. 25/2014 privind încadrarea în muncă şi detaşarea străinilor pe teritoriul României şi pentru modificarea şi completarea unor acte normative privind regimul străinilor în România, publicată în Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, nr. 640 din 30 august 2014, aprobată prin Legea nr. 14/2016, cu modificările şi completările ulterioare, se abrogă.»The repeal of the old work-authorisation regime.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«(5) La propunerea Ministerului Muncii, Familiei, Tineretului şi Solidarităţii Sociale, în concordanţă cu politica privind migraţia forţei de muncă şi luând în considerare situaţia pieţei muncii din România, anual, prin hotărâre a Guvernului se stabileşte contingentul de lucrători străini nou-admişi pe piaţa muncii din România. Ministerul Afacerilor Externe şi Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări, după caz, transmit, în format electronic, semestrial, Ministerului Muncii, Familiei, Tineretului şi Solidarităţii Sociale situaţia statistică a vizelor de lungă şedere pentru angajare în muncă, respectiv a permiselor unice şi a permiselor de şedere care conferă şi drept de muncă.»The quota the new regime runs on, set by Government decision each year.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Romanian immigration authority, a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, created by Emergency Ordinance 55/2007 out of the Authority for Foreigners and the National Office for Refugees. It administers the regime of foreigners and decides visas, residence extensions and long-term residence. Its Legislaţie page is also, in practice, the most reliable public source of the immigration statutes themselves: it serves consolidated PDFs of Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 on the regime of foreigners, Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 on free movement of Union, EEA and Swiss citizens, Ordinance 25/2014 on employment and secondment, Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 on access to the labour market, Law 122/2006 on asylum and the implementing decisions, at stable wp-content/uploads addresses. These are the only consolidated Romanian immigration texts reachable from outside the country, because the Ministry of Justice's legislative portal answers nothing.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: It is not the publisher of record and the files say so. Every consolidated PDF it serves is produced by S.C. Centrul Teritorial de Calcul Electronic S.A. Piatra-Neamţ and carries that company's disclaimer above the first article: the content belongs exclusively to CTCE and is not a document of an official character, being intended for the information of users. The official text is the Monitorul Oficial al României, Partea I, issue cited in each amendment annotation. Each file also prints a validity window with an end date, and the Inspectorate does not replace the file when the window closes: the Emergency Ordinance 194/2002 copy read on 10 October 2026 states its validity as running from 27 April 2026 until 30 April 2026, and the Emergency Ordinance 102/2005 copy states 8 to 14 March 2024. It cannot be cited for anything outside the regime of foreigners - not for tax, not for health insurance, not for road traffic, not for citizenship, which is the National Citizenship Authority's - and it cannot be cited for administrative practice: fee schedules, the Shortage Occupations List and the annual labour contingent are ministerial orders and Government decisions published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
Practical notes
The implementing instruments were due within 30 and 45 days of 27 April 2026 - the Shortage Occupations List by ministerial order, and Government decisions on the quota, on the platform's data categories and on one further matter. None of them was read for this record, and the List is the gate every ordinary worker now has to pass.
An amnesty is not a general regularisation. Article 52 reaches only people who held an employment visa or a single permit and stayed on, and only where no return obligation had been established against them.
This record rests on Emergency Ordinance 32/2026 as published in Monitorul Oficial no. 335 of 27 April 2026, read in the copy the Inspectorate General for Immigration publishes.